To THE EDITOR OF THE LIFE-BOAT JOURNAL.

SIR,—As so many of the gallant men who are ever ready to man the Life-boats of the NATIONAL LIFE-BOAT INSTITUTION belong to the hardy fish- ing population of our coasts, I have thought that a few remarks on the sale of cheap fish in the London market would be interesting and in- structive to them and to the readers of the Life- boat Journal generally. In order that your general readers may understand the question, I will de- scribe the working of the fish trade as familiarly as I can.

The first persons connected with the trade are, of course, the fishermen, who go out fishing from the various seaports and villages around our coasts. When the fish is caught, it is, as soon as possible, brought to shore and sold. There are various ways of selling the fish, and as they are the mysterious secrets of the trade, which cause both the scarcity and dearness of fish, I will en- deavour to explain them in detail.

The method most commonly adopted is as fol- lows—in fact, with a few exceptions, it is almost the only one. There are certain persons, by no means a large class, who either reside or have agents at all the principal fishing stations in the kingdom.

They agree for a certain period with the local fishermen to take every poundweight of fish that is brought to the landing-place at a certain fixed price per stone or hundredweight, no matter how much or how little. It is, when landed, imme- diately packed and sent to the market town where it is intended to be offered for sale. These factors are banded together for the purpose of keeping up the price of fish, under all conditions of supply, and carry out this system as follows.

Telegrams are exchanged between the various fishing places and the markets of Billingsgate, Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham, and others, and the exact amount of fish in the fishing-boats and on offer in the markets carefully ascertained.

The matter is then cautiously considered, and the fish sent to the most favourable market for sale.

Should there be an extra quantity of fish likely in any way to bring down the price by glutting the market, it is immediately destroyed, and what should have provided for the starving people is lost for ever. A more objectionable and unfair proceeding, having for its motive the increase of a few dealers, I never heard of or even read about.

Neither is there any excuse for such practices ; for if there were any fear of rendering fish un- saleable by unduly overstocking the market (a circumstance it is at all times wise, if possible, to prevent in all businesses), it would be quite prac- ticable to cure or salt the fish in numerous ways, without destroying it. The price paid for the fish by these factors to the fishermen ranges from a farthing to lid. per lb., soles and turbot some- times being sold separately. In some places the fish is sold by public auction, but the factors' knock-out renders it an utter farce. Some fisher- men bring their fish direct to Billingsgate at their own risk, to be sold by auction, but their number is very small indeed as compared with the general trade.

I will now endeavour to give farther particulars relating to the re-sale of fish by the factors. As the customs observed at Billingsgate are followed, more or less, by the provincial trade, a description of the London market will amply suffice to ex- plain the matter to your readers.

Before proceeding with the details of sale, it will be necessary to describe, as nearly as possible, the way in which fish is prepared for sale at Billings-gate by the factors at the landing-place or fishing station. The tish is packed in barrels, baskets, boxes, and in what are known to the trade as machines.

A machine is a closed shallow box, carried on a railway truck, supposed to contain about two tons of fish. The fish, when landed at the seaport, is almost immediately put into the machine or baskets and sent at considerable speed up to Billingsgate.

The factors consign the fish to certain auctioneers, who make it their business to sell it on commission by public auction in the market. The purchasers of this fish are not, as the public generally sup- pose, the retail fishmongers and costerniongers of London, but the stall-holders of Billingsgate, who rejoice in the expressive but inelegant appellation of " bummerees." The " bummerees" are also, in part, the cause of the present absurd, unreasonable price of fish, for before the ordinary retail fishmonger has well commenced his purchases, these " bummerees" have sold and re-sold the fish among themselves several times over, and, of course, each sale increases the price of this valuable article of food. After the *' bummerees " have finished their transactions, the fish is exposed for sale on or near the stalls of these traders. The retail fishmongers then come in and select the various kinds of fish which they think will be most useful for their purpose.

Of the wholesale price of fish paid by the retail fishmonger to the " bummeree," it is impos- sible to give any definite or certain estimate, as the prices appear to vary from one halfpenny per Ib. to twopence per Ib. Soles and the more expensive kinds of fish are sold by the pair ; crabs, lobsters, and crayfish by the dozen, and other fish in various ways.

To sum up the whole matter, somehow or other, from the moment the fish leaves the hands of the fisherman at the seaside, at a price something be- tween a farthing and a penny a pound, on arriving on the table of the consumer it has been worked up to charges varying from Gd. to 1*. Gd. per Ib., according to the quality of the fish sold.

In these calculations I do not include scarce fish, such as salmon, trout, or mullet.

I am, however, at a loss to understand how the fishermen, who risk their lives in all sorts of weather to supply us with fish, make such bad bargains with the middle men in the first instance, except from the fact that the large salesmen are the mortgagees of most of the boats. The truth is that under the present system the public pay through the nose and the fishermen are poverty- stricken. It is high time, I think, that co-operation should come upon the scene to break down this fish " ring."—Yours faithfully, January 1879. A MAN In THE CROWD..